Myriapoda

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Myriapods (from Ancient Greek μυρίος (muríos) 'countless' and πούς (poús) 'foot') are the members of subphylum Myriapoda, containing arthropods such as millipedes and centipedes. The group contains about 13,000 species, all of them terrestrial. Molecular evidence and similar fossils suggests a diversification in the Cambrian Period, and trace fossils indicate that myriapods inhabited the land by the Ordovician Period. The Stem-myriapod mandibulate Waukartus reinforces this. The oldest known body fossil record of myriapods is from the Wenlock Epoch, dated to approximately 427.0 ± 4.5 million years ago. Other early taxa include Kampecaris obanensis and Archidesmus from the Ludlow Epoch. Early taxa like Pneumodesmus preserve one of the earliest known evidence of air-breathing on land. The phylogenetic classification of myriapods is still debated. The scientific study of myriapods is myriapodology, and those who study myriapods are myriapodologists.

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